Dinner at Maple Yip

Share:

Dinner at Maple Yip

Here are my findings from the recent trip hereFrom the outside the place doesn't look like much and is located at the back of a nameless/faceless shopping area. As I walked in I saw a mini lineup of sorts (always a good sign) of people waiting to be seated. Once inside one is hit with the noise associated for these kind of restaurants. I spotted my group in a corner and and grabbed a seat.Since we had pre-ordered we didn't need to go over the menu and waited for the food to arrive.1) Pork with lotus root and broth. I didn't try this dish but the fellow diners commented the sweet finish was nice on the root vegetables. The broth didn't look appetizing though as it was quite murky.2) A vegetable medley with melon and broccoli. A vegetarian dish that I enjoyed. There were 3 kind of mushrooms/fungi i.e shitake, Wood ear and bamboo pith (I think) The presentation was nice as the top was covered with a melon. The server carved the dish for us which is a nice touch. I had similar non vegetarian versions of this dish before (with scallops) and this one was done well. 3) Steamed oysters done two ways (black bean and garlic). Visually appealing but nothing to write to home about.These are full sized oysters so the meat is not delicate and the duo of sauces covers this inherent flaw for this dish. 4) Chicken with seafood stuffing. This item needs to be ordered in advance. A very interesting dish as the skin and bones were perfectly separated from the meat and then stuffed with shrimp paste and then put back on. The taste reminded me of one of my favorite items for dim sum (stuffed crab claws). There was red dipping sauce as well. Highlight of the menu IMO.5) Steamed grouper with soy, scallions and ginger. A standard dish which is used as yardstick to assess the steam cooking abilities of a chef. This dish was overcooked IMO. 6) Crab with egg whites. The legs were coated lightly with batter and then fried. The main shell was stuffed with a scrabbled egg white and crab meat. Beautiful presentation again. Taste was very subtle and I think this dish could have come from any region. A good item to order if you like crab and don't enjoy it with any sauces. There was red wine vinegar on the side if you are inclined to use a sauce (I would advise against it as it takes away from the taste) 7) Duck filled with treasures. A stewed version of duck stuffed with lotus seeds. Most of the meat was thankfully de-boned. I did not enjoy this dish as apart from the texture it was devoid of taste. 8) Dessert was soup with sesame seed paste stuffed in rice. Meh.I didn't try the pork belly and rice dish, fellow diners really liked the pork belly.Service was inconsistent as the servers kept bringing us dishes that we didn't order. To be fair it was busy Saturday but if we were not vigilant I would hate to be one of the folks on the other tables who didn't get their dishes. We got a good value for money on this meal as it was within budget. There was one dish that really stood out. 3 Stars all said and done.